VERO BEACH — Two restaurants in Vero Beach and one in Micco were named by state officials as purchasing black market fish in an undercover operation.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission charged Felix Fajardo, 40, of Felix's Place in the 2600 block of Aviation Boulevard with four counts of purchasing from an unlicensed dealer and one count of purchasing snook. State officials said Fajardo pleaded guilty to all the charges and is awaiting sentencing, FWC said.

At Szechuan Palace in the 1900 block of 43rd Avenue, Yang Fu Liang, 62, was charged with purchasing from an unlicensed dealer and purchasing freshwater fish. Liang said Thursday his purchase was for personal use rather than for his restaurant. He said he did not know what type of penalty he would face.

The violations were part of a six-month operation in Indian River and Brevard counties targeting black market sales of fish and wildlife. Undercover FWC officers approached the owners or employees of 44 restaurants and offered them fish and wildlife species that are either illegal to purchase or require a permit. Sales for snook, native redfish, alligators, soft-shell turtles and other game fish were made at 11 of the establishments.

FWC officials said the goal for the investigation is to discourage people from illegally selling or purchasing Florida's natural wildlife because it hurts commercial fishermen and the resource itself.

In Micco, two employees at China Wok in the 7900 block of U.S. 1 were charged with violations, FWC said. Zhou Rong Ni, 52, was cited for two counts of purchasing from an unlicensed dealer, two counts of purchasing red drum and one count of a records violation. Huaying Ni, 42, had the same charges, plus a third for purchasing from an unlicensed dealer.

Six restaurant employees in northern Brevard were also hit with violations, and charges are pending at three more, FWC said.